1. Field of the Invention
This invention lies in the field of fishing and provides a mechanism for the automatic control of fishing line on a rotating spool during casting. The invention does not apply to irrotational reels for fishing line (commonly called "coffee grinders").
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem to be addressed by this invention on rotating fishing line spools arises through the accelerations and decelerations of the line on the spool and the spool itself during a cast which tend to result in the originally neatly spooled line which can be easily reeled off the spool becoming hopelessly tangled and jamming up the whole reel of line so that a length period is interposed of struggling to untangle the line before fishing can be resumed.
Not only with newcomers but also with experienced fisherman these tangles, frequently called overwinds, are a well known problem. Despite this tendency for problems the rotating spool is still widely used apparently partly because it still permits very long casts compared to other types, essential, for example, for surf fishing and also because it is very effective in playing a large fish. The experienced fisherman learns to use the thumb to attempt to control the reel but even he or she is subject to occasional overwinds and the resulting tangled line especially at night when it becomes very difficult for even the experienced fisherman to prevent overwinds and tangles. Large numbers of newcomers are daunted by this problem.
Attempts have been made to address this problem by means of mechanisms and devices which are adapted to apply a brake shoe to the spool if the line becomes slack and to lift the brake shoe from the spool when the line is taut. An example is described in S.A. patent 66/5845, manufactured in this country and sold as the "Gillie". The Gillie is a fairly intricate small mechanism which must be mounted on a rotating spool type fishing reel by first dismantling the reel and then reassembling it with the Gillie installed in its various parts. The Gillie has a projecting wire with a large eye at its end through which the line must be threaded before being threaded through the eyes of the rod and thereafter having the sinkers and weights, etc., attached at its end. The Gillie has not come into general use and in fact is very seldom seen if ever, perhaps its largest disadvantage attributing to this is the necessity to dismantle the reel in order to mount the Gillie on it. Whether the device functions effectively is not clear.
A 1968 patent, 68/7120 described a further design based on the general principle of monitoring the line tension to apply a brake to the spool and using a weight instead of a tension spring to pre-load the device into the braking position but this device again would require the reel to be dismantled for it to be mounted and does not appear to have come into use at all.
A 1971 patent, 71/6056 provides a design based on a similar principle but enclosing a coil spring enclosed within a post which is mounted in the reel, again, however, after having to dismantle the reel at least partially. This product again is not seen on the market place.
A 1975 patent, 75/1425 describes still another device broadly using the same principle but again mounted on the fishing reel in a manner which requires disassembly of at least one of the posts of the reel and the loosening of two screws of the reel to attach a mounting bracket. This product again is not seen on the market place.